Melissa Sweet (illustrator) facts for kids

Melissa Sweet (born January 1, 1956) is a famous American artist and writer. She has created almost 100 books for kids and young readers. Her books have won many important awards. For example, her book Balloons Over Broadway won the Golden Kite Award and the Sibert Medal in 2012. Some Writer! also won a Cybils Award. Two books she illustrated, A River of Words and The Right Word, were even honored with the Caldecott Medal.

About Melissa Sweet

Melissa Sweet was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey. She studied art at the Kansas City Art Institute. Today, she lives with her husband in Rockport, Maine.

Melissa Sweet's Career as an Author and Illustrator

Melissa Sweet started her career illustrating books with the Pinky and Rex series by James Howe. Since then, she has illustrated nearly 100 books. She has written some of these books herself. For many others, she worked with different writers. She illustrated three books for author Jen Bryant, including A River of Words and The Right Word.

How Melissa Sweet Creates Her Art

Melissa Sweet does a lot of research for her children's biographies. She uses watercolor, mixed media, and collage in her illustrations. She loves to use many colors. She once said she likes to use "every color on the color wheel." She also loves using "complementary colors."

Sweet learned how to mix colors in an art class. Her teacher helped her learn to use a limited set of colors. Watercolor is her favorite art material to use. She was inspired to start writing and illustrating children's books by Maurice Sendak's Little Bear series. She felt confident she could illustrate books after seeing them.

Creating Balloons Over Broadway

For her book Balloons Over Broadway, Melissa Sweet made toys and puppets. She played with many different materials. She used paper from old books to make puppets. She also used found objects and fabrics. She painted these items to show what it was like in Tony Sarg's world. Some toys in her illustrations are based on Sarg's collection. She even used some of Tony Sarg's own drawings in the book. Sweet wanted to show that Sarg always had fun with his art. She believes that "play" is very important in making art.

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White is a biography that Melissa Sweet wrote and illustrated. It is 176 pages long. She used watercolor and collage art for the pictures. The book shares parts of E. B. White's life. It also includes early versions of his novels. You can see family pictures and other new information about the writer.

Melissa Sweet got permission to use White's words from his granddaughter, Martha White. Martha White also helped Sweet by letting her see the family's personal records and photos.

Awards and Honors for Melissa Sweet's Books

Melissa Sweet has won many awards for her amazing books. In 2019, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art gave her their Carle Honor. This award celebrates artists who have made great contributions to children's literature.

Two of Sweet's books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. These are Balloons over Broadway (2011) and Some Writer! (2016).

In 2005, The New York Times named Carmine one of the best illustrated books of the year. In 2011, Balloons Over Broadway was named a top nonfiction children's book. This was by the Chicago Public Library, The Horn Book Magazine, and Publishers Weekly.

Some Writer! became a New York Times Best Seller. Many libraries and magazines listed it as one of the best books of 2016. These included the Chicago Public Library, The Horn Book Magazine, and Kirkus Reviews.

Awards for Books Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Many books that Melissa Sweet has illustrated have also won awards. Fourteen of these books are Junior Library Guild selections. These include Pinky and Rex and the School Play (1998) and The Right Word (2014).

In 2009, The Horn Book Magazine named The Sleepy Little Alphabet one of the best picture books. The same year, The New York Times included A River of Words on its list of top ten illustrated books.

In 2013, School Library Journal named Brave Girl one of the best nonfiction children's books. Little Red Writing was also named a best book by School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.

In 2014, Firefly July was named a best picture book by The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and Publishers Weekly. The Horn Book Magazine also listed it as best poetry.

Selected Works by Melissa Sweet

Books Written and Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

• Carmine: A Little More Red (2005)
• Tupelo Rides the Rails (2008)
• Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade (2011)
• Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White (2016)

Books Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

• Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women (2002) by Catherine Thimmish
• Moonlight The Halloween Cat (2003) by Cynthia Rylant
• The Boy Who Drew Birds:The Story of John James Audubon (2004) by Jacqueline Davies
• Baby Bear's Chairs (2005) by Jane Yolen
• A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams (2008) by Jen Bryant
• The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town (2009) by Judy Sierra
• Rubia and the Three Osos (2010) by Susan Middleton Elya
• Mrs. Harkness and the Panda (2012) by Alicia Potter
• Spike, the Mixed Up Monster (2012) by Susan Hood
• A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (2013) by Jen Bryant
• The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (2014) by Jen Bryant
• Little Red Writing (2013) by Joan Hoab
• Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Maker's Strike (2013) by Michelle Markel
• Day is Done (2014) by Peter Yarrow
• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems (2014) by Paul B. Janeczko
• You Nest Here With Me (2015) by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple
• Listen to Our World (2016) by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson
• How To Read A Book (2019) by Kwame Alexander
• Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott (2021) by Joyce Scott and Brie Spangler